Dorothy Milne Murdock[1][2][3] (March 27, 1960 – December 25, 2015),[4] better known by her pen namesAcharya S and D. M. Murdock,[5][6] was an American internet personality and a proponent of the Christ myth theory.[7] She wrote and operated a website focused on history, religion and spirituality, and astro-theology. She argued that the Christian canon, as well as its important figures, were based on Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and other myths.[8] Her theories have been poorly received by mainstream scholars.[9]

In 1999, as Acharya S, she published her first book, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold, arguing the concept of Jesus Christ as myth. She states the Christ story is a fabrication.[14]

Her 2007 book, Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ continues the theme of The Christ Conspiracy by expanding her theory questioning the historical validity of Jesus Christ alleging "early Christian history to be largely mythical, by sorting through available historical and archaeological data."

In 2009 she released Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection and The Gospel According to Acharya S.[15]

Acharya's work has been well-received by amateur 'christ mythicists', but roundly criticized by biblical scholarship.

Writer Russ Kick, in his book You Are Being Lied To, describes The Christ Conspiracy as "an essential book for anyone who wants to know the reality behind the world's dominant religion."[16] Conspiracy theorist and publisher Kenn Thomas calls her a "great chronicler of the conspiracy known as Christianity".[17]

Atheist activist and Christ mythicist Richard Carrier criticized her use of the inscriptions at Luxor to make the claim that the story of Jesus birth was inspired by the Luxor story of the birth of Horus.[20] Theologian and Christ-mythicist Robert M. Price also criticized Murdock's first book,[9] while promoting her Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled,[21] and writing the foreword to her Who Was Jesus?: Fingerprints of the Christ.[6]

Her work has also been criticized by New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman, who, in his Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth calls Murdock's The Christ Conspiracy "the breathless conspirator's dream". He says "all of Acharya's major points are in fact wrong" and her book "is filled with so many factual errors and outlandish assertions that it is hard to believe the author is serious." Taking her as representative of some other writers about the Christ myth theory, he continues "Mythicists of this ilk should not be surprised that their views are not taken seriously by real scholars, mentioned by experts in the field, or even read by them."[22]